


we will remberer them

by mandyb1961



Category: Holby City
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 23:03:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21382048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandyb1961/pseuds/mandyb1961
Summary: Serena looking back on the times she’s attending Remembrance Sunday’s Services from the past and the present.
Relationships: Edward Campbell/Serena Campbell, Serena Campbell/Alex Dawson/Bernie Wolfe
Kudos: 6





	we will remberer them

**Author's Note:**

> Once again only edited only for grammar and punctuation, so forgive the mistakes.

Serena had always observed the 2-minute silence, one of her first-ever memories were going with her mum and dad attending one at the local cenotaph. She knew her grandpa had fought in the First World War as a medic, he was the one who inspired her to want to become a medic. He never spoke of what he had witnessed as a young man, doing his duty but he would swell with pride when he talked about his brothers, he lost on the battlefield.

When Serena went to university she made sure she still observed the two-minute silence and brushed away her fellow students saying it was outdated, the only one who didn’t mock her was Edward Campbell.

They would regularly go as friends then as a married couple taking Eleanor with them. Serena would look at the soldiers’, in their dress uniform and could only imagine what horrors they would pass on to their grandchildren.

She had heard by rumour about a Major Wolfe who’d been blown literally back to England via an IED, they’d not met but she knew the Major was a woman, trauma specialist who was in the thick of various campaigns and it was going to an insurgent’s latest carnage she and her little team of medics who got caught up in an emergency themselves. She knew the major’s driver, the leading nurse had been killed, the anaesthetist was hurt broken ribs but still pulled out the Major and stabilised her before they were rescued.

Their paths still didn’t cross but she’d heard via the hospital gossip drums, she quickly healed and was offered a job working with Jac, she wasn’t sure who was who in getting on each other’s nerves and the following week Major Wolfe would be joining her on AAU. 

Fortune was on her side that day when her car decided it wanted to be retired and she had her first meeting with the Major in the car park, the week before Serena thought about asking if Major Wolfe would be attending the coming Sunday of remembrance, but thought better off it, as she knew she would be and if Major Wolfe was going to be there she’d see her.

The following day dawned; it was very dark the forecast said heavy rain with possible thunderstorms. Serena went downstairs suitably dressed and already waiting was Jason wearing a dark smart suit, the only real colour of note was his red poppy. 

They ate breakfast in silence, they walked slowly to the small gathering in the high street, some bored teenagers, even some bored adults, the veterans looking in the distance and there she was in her full dress uniform, standing by her side a non-descript man and two fidgety young adults boy and girl. 

As the two minutes silence came to an end and the trumpeter sounded the last post, the sun decided to peek out of the gloom and it hit Major Wolfe’s campaign medals, her long service medal and including one she didn’t recognise and Bernie would tell her about later; The Royal Red Cross Serena could see she was taking very deep breaths trying to stay calm trying not to cry. 

When the service ended, Serena so wanted to say she didn’t really know what to the Major, but the man and the children had gone leaving the Major alone in deep thought she didn’t feel it was right to go to her. Before she left she took one final look back and saw the Major salute the cenotaph she had been joined by another soldier also in dress uniform who joined her in the salute, she too wore campaign medals and The Royal Red Cross one.

They stood back together and looked at each other, both crying she couldn’t make out what they were saying to each other, she felt a shiver run down her back as they were consoling each other. She heard the moaning voice of the man who’d come back with the children, “Bernie we’ve got to go, it’s getting cold and the kids have school in the morning.” Bernie looked at them and back at the solider they tried to give each other a brave smile, saluted each other and Bernie walked to her family the other solider walked away. 

The following Monday after they’d been introduced Serena tried to get Bernie to talk about her time in the Army but like her grandpa before him would or only wanted to talk about the fallen soldiers. They did attend the service of remembrance together again Major Wolfe in her dress uniform, no children of their own attending only her nephew Jason, who was proud of his Auntie Bernie even if her own children were not. 

Now Bernie was gone, died saving lives as she had all those years ago when she, in turn, should have died had it not been for Captain now acting Sergeant Dawson saving her life felt she needed to go even more to Remberence Sunday. 

She met Jason and Greta at the cenotaph, Cameron was non-committal about where he’d be attending or not, but he was there with Charlotte and Marcus. They were also with an elderly lady and a man in his 40s Bernie’s mum and brother she thought. As she looked around and saw Alex in her dress uniform talking to some fellow soldiers, their badges that identifying they were members of the RMAC, Bernie’s old regiment and also with them was the solider she recognised who had come to tell Cameron his mum was MIA. He was standing behind a soldier in a wheelchair who was propped up, missing a leg and looking ahead. She did wonder if he was there when she got blown up again, this time successfully, maybe they wanted to give Bernie the military send-off she deserved and her family had refused to do.

When the service was over she went over to Alex, ignoring the hateful stares thrown at her by Marcus and Charlotte. Before she could say anything Alex quickly stood to attention, they had been joined by Bernie’s mum and brother. 

“Mrs Wolfe, Luke.”

“At ease soldier,” Mrs Wolfe turned to Serena who felt a shiver down her back again and she felt a hand in the small of her back, but no one was standing by her. Mrs Wolfe spoke softly to both Alex and Serena, “thank you both for loving my daughter the way you did and thank you both for saving her life, either physically or emotionally. You gave her so much unconditional love than that idiot,” she nodded towards Marcus, “ever did in their whole marriage, hopefully, one day Cameron and Lottie will love her for who and what she was, which was a good solider and a good mother.”

Luke spoke next, “we’re going to the Lamb’s Inn and we’d be very honoured if all of you joined us.” He got murmurs of we’d be honoured, Alex spoke next. “Serena if you’d rather not it's okay.” 

“No I want to, I just need to tell Jason and Greta where I’m going so they can go home and be with Genevieve.” She walked over to them and explained what she was or who she needed to be with, Jason gave her a hug, then gave a small wave to the soldiers and they walked away. 

The small little group went to the local pub and thankfully it had no Dunn’s in there, as I don’t think they would have been welcomed even if they had been. They talked, about Bernie the young headstrong girl, who wanted to follow her uncle Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge - Stewart in the army. 

She couldn’t hold back the tears when the solider in the wheelchair Corporal Harry Sullivan told them how she had ordered him out of the hospital when the first suicide bomber had struck and how Bernie had been caught up in the next one trying to evacuate the hospital. 

Before they knew it the last orders bell was ringing and they were forced into saying their goodbyes and keep in touch, possibly knowing that they wouldn’t. When Serena made it back to her house it had just started to rain and, she heard a distant rumble of thunder. 

As she walked through the living room to go into the kitchen to get a glass of water before she went to bed, she stopped to look at the only photo she had of Bernie in her dress uniform. She traced a finger down Bernie’s face, whispered her love and regret, knowing she was partly responsible for sending Bernie to her death.

Again she felt a warm hand on her lower back, and she heard Bernie’s voice saying she forgave her and it was time for her to forgive herself. When Serena went in next day she gave in her notice to Hedrick stating as she was owed enough leave today would be her last day, when he asked what she was going to do next, she simply answered. “I’m going to continue to do the humanitarian work that Bernie started in Sudan, and if they’ll let me in the Berenice Grizelda Wolfe ward. They named it after her when she when she.” She didn’t need to finish the sentence as she already knew Hedrick would know how or why it was named after Bernie.

As her shift came to an end, she visited all the wards that she’d worked on, she had already packed her bags, and the house had now been signed over to Jason. They offered to go with her to the airport but she said no, best say their goodbyes there. 

She made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare, while she was in the departures lounge bar she was joined by another woman, who took the glass of bourbon that was already waiting for her “Ready to start your new life, where we can both honour her memory and do her proud.” They clinked glasses, “I think I am Alex.”

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: The Royal Red Cross (Class II) is a Meritorious award given for special devotion and competency in the performance of actual nursing duties…. over a continuous and long period’ looked this up and thought it would be an appropriate medal for both Bernie and Alex to have alongside their Afghan medal.


End file.
